Alliance is wonderful! They are professional and always great with communication. They have managed our property for 2 years now and we have the best service we could ask for - detailed reports, quick response and proactive thinking. read more

Jim Flanders is extremely professional, knowledgeable, and attentive. He worked with me through the process of buying a multi-unit property. This was my first ever real estate purchase, and Jim was exceptionally patient and consultative. First, he sent me listings, tweaking the criteria numerous times per my requests. Next, he arranged showings, and went with me to view dozens of properties. We put several offers out, and he was diligent about following up on every one. He then expertly navigated me through a 6-month short sale, negotiating the final deal. Finally, he walked me through the closing process. Post-close, after he received his commission (which he discounts compared to other brokers), he still advised me on the rehab and leasing process. Did I mention he responds to emails instantly? I could not imagine better client service. read more

Jim sold our Logan Square property quickly (multiple offers within 4 days), and then guided us - without drama - through the entire process. He's professional, a great listener, and has the acumen and competence needed to succeed in Chicago real estate. We will be using him again. read more

Alliance Properties is great. Professional, reliable, punctual and knowledgeable. Jim has been wonderful managing buildings for us, and brokering our purchases and sales. I could not imagine using any other broker or property manager. If anything happens Jim is on it and in constant contact with us throughout the process. I would recommend Alliance Properties to anyone in need of any real estate or management for their properties. read more

Jim has been my landlord for nearly two years and in all interactions with both my wife and I, we've found him to be reasonable, professional, attentive, courteous, proactive and quick to get things done when necessary. Some of these things are to be expected from a landlord, but I can't say I've been in another landlord/tenant situation where the landlord worked as hard to exceed expectations. I highly recommend Jim and Alliance Properties for anyone who is looking for this type of commitment and attention. read more

We interviewed several property management companies to handle the renting out of our personal condo, and went with Jim (Alliance Properties) for several reasons: 1. He's a realtor, which gives him access to resources and networks that many non-realtor agencies do not. Also a plus for future real-estate needs (i.e. selling/buying), as this would let us establish a working relationship, as well as provide incentive all-around to make things work. 2. He was sincerely interested in helping us out, despite the fact that we are a comparatively small client (Jim never stated or even hinted at this, but it's quite obvious from the range of properties Alliance manages) in relation to his other, larger properties. This was a major selling point at the time, and it continues to be true to this day. 3. Excellent communication. Jim is always available by phone or email, and has never failed to follow-through. 4. Professional practices and business/personal integrity-- thorough background checks for potential tenants, clear communication, and flexible with respect to our decisions. Late autumn is hardly an optimal time to find a tenant on short notice, but we passed on several less-than-ideal potential tenants due to questionable credit scores/backgrounds, and Jim was always the first to state his reluctance to go forward in these cases, yet also made clear that he would, if we thought otherwise. Since the responsibility of any tenant would be on Jim, this was a true testament to his integrity; Jim essentially worked (hard) pro bono for many weeks, and we never felt pressured to compromise in any way. 5. Knowledgeable-- we needed a management company with experience, and Jim has plenty; again, his network and realtor background are a clear advantage here. 6. Value-- the personal condo/property management market is competitive, so prices/fees fall within a relatively narrow range. Jim/Alliance charges very fair rates (better than most from our admittedly limited research); for the level of service we receive, and the corresponding peace of mind, we are very satisfied. Transactions are electronic and secure, so we literally click a few buttons once a month to collect rent. The time we save, and the stress we avoid, makes us wonder why we didn't go this route when we first decided to rent out our condo. We are big on DIY, but for some things, it just makes sense to bring in a professional. Probably the most meaningful metric of all: we have every intention to continue to do business with Jim/Alliance. read more

Jim Flanders is the property manager of my apartment, and I could not be happier with my decision to rent from him. The apartment is situated in a wonderful location, and is attractive, clean and well-equipped. Jim himself is incredibly friendly and helpful. On the rare occasion that we've had minor problems with an appliance, my roommate and I have been blown away by how quickly and thoroughly Jim has worked to remedy the situation - he is by far the best and most attentive property manager I have ever had. I would highly recommend Alliance Properties to anyone living in the Chicago area. My roommate and I have been so pleased, and hope to continue to rent from Jim indefinitely. In a world where trustworthy, responsive property managers can be hard to find, Jim at Alliance Properties is a real gem! read more

Jim Flanders is a knowledgeable professional and a personable property manager and Realtor. We are long-distance condo-owners and we count on Jim for quick and dependable resolution of any tenant issues and condo repairs. Alliance Properties also has great vendor and handyman contacts which are very useful in handling urgent matters as well as needed replacements of appliances and equipment. Jim is a very trustworthy partner in this endeavor and we would recommend his services to anyone who asks, whether for sales or property management. read more

I had a great experience working with Alliance. They gave me honest advice, helped me through the selling process, and sold our condo within a week. I would recommend using Alliance for your real estate needs. read more

This was my first review. I do not understand what he says when he claims another review of mine was removed. Frankly, I don't understand half his message. Maybe he is thinking of a different disgruntled person. We did have a management agreement and he cannot claim 100% satisfaction because we were not satisfied at all. I looked at some other negative reviews and he has some excuse for every one. He simply will never accept responsibility for anything. That seems to be a common theme and reminds me too much of our experience as his client. I am so happy to be done with Alliance!! read more

My recent interaction with Jim found him to be severely lacking in professionalism and customer service. Two things that are integral when making such a huge decision. He was unhelpful and uncooperative with even the most minor request and really made working with him unpleasant. In addition he misrepresented the truth in our interaction costing me thousands of dollars. I would highly recommend using someone else for such a life altering process. read more

I recently rented a garage space from Alliance Properties. The initial lease was great with no problems. However, when I pursued a renewal, I had issues. We had agreed upon a lease term, but Jim changed that at the time of signature. Then when making the term changes, verbiage was inserted into the agreement without a phone call or e-mail conversation with me requiring all full term payment up front over a month before the extension took effect. When I caught this, I communicated that I was not ok with this change, but was pressured into agreeing with the terms. Although I did not succumb to the pressure, I was made to feel ignorant and my integrity was challenged. This is not the type of rental experience I would wish on anyone. read more

James Flanders did an outstanding job both managing our property for 2 years and acting as a selling agent. He is friendly, efficient, analytical, practical and professional. Billing was timely and transparent. Requests for services on our unit were handled within hours. His contractor contacts did excellent work at a reasonable price. He found qualified, responsible tenants quickly. When it was time to sell, he brought it to the market effectively, and we sold for a very respectable price in a short amount of time. My wife and I give him our highest recommendation. read more

I chose Jim as my property manager for my condo in Ravenswood when I took a job in Honolulu. Jim was the only one of several property managers that I spoke with who offered to meet me at my place and discuss managing the property with me. He has a laid back yet professional personality that put my mind at ease. He was very quick to respond to any emails, calls or texts. His company managed my property for 2 years with 3 different tenants. I decided to stay in Honolulu and sell the property and it was an extremely smooth and easy transition to put it on the market even though I had a deadline to sell the property if I was going to be reimbursed for the closing costs by my company. We were able to sell it within a few short months. Jim was great to work with and I can't recommend him enough. read more

Alliance Properties is a quality organization and Jim Flanders provides exceptional service. Knowledgable, courteous, and honest they will help to make your real estate transaction a breeze. I have worked with them on several occassions and find them to be of the highest caliber. read more

I have worked with Jim Flanders and Alliance Partners for two transactions. He is one of the few really informed and experienced agents in the market. He has experience across property managment, construction insights, sell side and buy side. As a person that is likely to do it myself, Jim Flanders added enough value to justify going through him. I would highly recommend and would welcome the opportunity to be a reference. read more

James has been my landlord for the last year and I can honestly say that he has been one of the most professional, honest and responsive landlords I've had the pleasure of renting from. We've had our share of issues with the apartment, given that the building is an older three-flat, but James has always been quick to respond and remedy any issues we've had. He has a great team of folks that have been able to deal with any repairs/needs quickly and effectively. I'd highly recommend James to any prospective renters, buyers or owners and will certainly seek out his services when I buy my first property. read more

I am a new first time Landlord in Chicago. Before I hired a management company to lease and manage my duplex condo in Wrigleyville (with a market rent of $4,000 per month), I wrote a detailed email of questions and sent the same email to four property management companies that I found on Yelp to lean more and to help me decide who to hire. Three of those companies took the time to personally respond to my questions and to attempt to earn my business. Alliance Properties was not one of those three. Jim's one paragraph email stated verbatim, "Thanks for reaching out to us. Here is a link to our mgmnt agreement. Pls let me know if you have any questions. Thx" I was honestly shocked and really put off by his lack of interest in spending any time to help me learn more about his company and how they could help me, especially because he touts his sales performance on his website. Nowhere in my first email did I even ask to see his agreement since I wasn't to that point yet. I responded to his email and let him know that I found it pretty remarkable that he didn't put in any effort to get to know me and to help let me know more about his company. His reply to that was essentially that he was surprised that I was so surprised and "I don't think we will be the company your are looking for." In hindsight, I couldn't agree more with the last part. Maybe Jim is so great that business just falls in his lap and he doesn't need to put in any effort up front. I guess I will never know. But what I do know is that if you are a first time landlord and/or want a company that will actually put in a little time to EARN your business, this guy and this company are NOT a good choice. As it turned out, I hired a company who had an agent that wrote me a VERY detailed response to my email and who sent out that agent on a Sunday to spend a couple hours with me and my wife in my home. She was incredible then as well as in leasing my unit. The management side of their business has also been fantastic on many levels. Also, as it turned out, their fees for leasing and management were much less than Alliance. If costs are at all important to you, do yourself a favor and shop around a bit. You may be quite surprised at the large range of pricing in the market for leasing and management. I have personally learned that you don't have to pay top tiered pricing to get top tiered service. Of the four companies I solicited, Alliance was the priciest of all of them. Pretty ironic..... read more

I had a great experience with Alliance Properties. They are very professional and friendly. I would highly recommend to everyone. I would definitely contact them again if I have to move or buy a new place. read more

I recently worked with Jim as both seller's agent and buyer's agent. On the sell side, Jim helped me negotiate for a full price deal and guided the process through to a smooth closing. On the buy side, although there were lots of issues with seller side of the transaction, Jim helped me to stay focused and strategize ways to get past a multitude of barriers that arose from offer to closing, including a significant seller concession. Jim is a straight-up, experienced agent and I would happily work with him again and recommend him to my closest friend. read more

We are very happy with the decision to hire Jim Flanders as our listing realtor. Jim was always available and responded quickly to all our needs from the time before getting our property listing through the day of closing on the property. He is not one of those realtors that gets the listing and disappears. Jim has surrounded himself with professionals to handle all the necessities that come with buying, selling and leasing properties. We were really thrilled with the polished photos that encouraged a continual flow of showings and a very quick sale of our property. We even ended up selling for more than we had anticipated receiving. It is difficult to find the level of professionalism provided by Jim's company. read more

My wife and I were referred to Jim by friends as were were starting to look for a home to buy in Chicago after moving here from out-of-state. We were first time home buyers, and Jim took the time to guide us through the process from searching to closing. Jim was always super responsive to our calls and emails, and he made himself available on short notice when we wanted to view a property. We also really appreciated how frank and honest Jim was in pointing out problems with homes we viewed. He never put any pressure on us to make an offer on any property, and always gave us his honest assessment of the homes we viewed. Also, Jim was great during the negotiating phase of the process (with his advice saving us at least a few thousand dollars), and he remained ready to assist through closing. We would highly recommend Jim Flanders & Alliance Properties to anyone looking to buy or sell a home in Chicago. read more

I first met Jim when my husband and I were buying a condo in Logan Square. He was SO helpful, 100% trustworthy, and always looking out for us, there was no question 5 years later who we were going to go to when we sold our home. Truly the BEST in the Chicago area! read more

Jim Flanders was a great landlord! He quickly responded to any requests and was helpful if I had any questions. I would certainly work with Jim again if I hadn't moved out of state. I highly recommend Alliance Properties and Jim Flanders! read more

Giving James Flanders only 5 stars actually does him a disservice to the level of service he provided me in the sale of my condo. His attention to detail and knowledge is eclipsed only by his level of professionalism in the sale of my condo; and wow did that sale happen quick. I sold it FASTER than I could ever imagined and for MORE than I thought was possible. If you are reading reviews to gauge whether or not Jim is the realtor for you, then I can tell you with all certainty the following - his expertise is unmatched, his communication is timely and courteous, and most importantly he is trustworthy and very respectful of your needs. If these are characteristics of someone that you want to work with, then I highly recommend Jim. read more

Don't bother with this company. I used their services but would never do so again and would recommend that no one else do so either. I was very disappointed in the service and the nasty email from the owner. read more

We worked with Jim to sell our place in the city and then purchase a home in the north shore it was a really great experience and he is top notch when it comes to realtors!! Jim was very professional on both ends... We had great marketing materials and really nice printed brochures with great photos that really showed our place well! I think those pictures really stood out among the other properties on the MLS and caused a lot of traffic for us. Jim communicated everything to us quickly, opening and honestly guiding us to make the best decision. The sale of our place went smoothly and could not have been happier. Our current home purchase had a seller that was extremely difficult and really hard to deal with. Jim handled it extremely well and made us feel more at ease having him on our side! Again his constant communication to us with all of the changes the seller was making was helpful seeking out his advice was priceless to help us get through this process. There is no doubt that we would use Alliance properties again and would refer anyone we know to him! read more

I met Jim through a mutual, trusted contact. Since then, we have spent a year putting in offers at several houses and we have secured rentals through Jim. Throughout the process, James has consistently been an extremely trusted advisor in all facets of the sales and rental process. He has identified issues with potential properties that others have overlooked, and he is never too busy to spend time with us going through our questions. He has been incredibly patient in helping us find the perfect house. Most importantly, he never puts getting a quick sale above the happiness of his clients. He also has an expansive network of experts whose services we were extremely happy with (especially inspection)! I couldn't speak more highly of Alliance and the work they do. Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions about Alliance. I have referred several of my closest friends to them. read more

I cannot say enough about Jim Flanders and his company Alliance Properties! We have worked with Jim on the sale of 2 of our homes and both transactions were the easiest transactions we have ever experienced. First of all, his personality alone makes it easy to work with him. He is extremely organized, very professional, punctual, and knowledgeable about real estate, and at the same time makes the process fun with his great sense of humor. He was very available anytime we had a question and was very honest about comp properties and other properties that we were interested in. He kept us informed on the daily activity of our sale by email and phone calls and we always felt up to date on things.His negotiating skills are superb and when unexpected issues arise during inspection, he has excellent ideas/advice on how to fix the issues. For both transactions he was able to find us a buyer in less than 1 month! We were very pleased to say the least. Especially since the last one was during the time of a very poor market. Jim is an excellent Real Estate Broker and we continue to remain friends with him to this day. We highly recommend Jim if you are planning to sell or buy, or both. With his experience and knowledge in real estate, plus his other stellar qualities, you can't go wrong! read more